Why is the Naqib an issue in a Canadian election?

In the last two debates in French, why did four more or less grown men spend so much time arguing over an article of women’s clothing not standard in Western female attire?

Did these battles over what’s appropriate for women to wear, restricted to males in conventional suits, indicate why Elizabeth May wasn’t invited to the party?

Along with everyone else who applies for Canadian citizenship, Muslim women have to submit a multitude of documents proving who they are prior to the swearing in ceremony.

Let’s face it. Identity is not the problem.

So who ignited this issue, which was barely more than a political spark until recently? Who hired a PR wizard known to be a master of distraction? Who enjoyed a rise in the polls after wearing the niqab became a hot topic?